Image via New York magazine

Anyone who’s watched Sex and the City has heard of Fleet Week, but the insinuated meaning of the annual occurrence – sailors taking over the city’s street and women flocking to meet them – is hardly the reality of seven day experience. In truth, Fleet Week serves as an opportunity to honor the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps and show them a bit of hospitality in the big city. During deployment, ships dock in major cities, including New York, to allow sailors a bit of a respite to enjoy tourist attractions, leading to an overwhelming number of uniforms around the Big Apple. With an insurgence of appreciation for those guarding our waters, the city turns into a veritable Navy obsessed environment, resulting in celebration in the form of flyovers and air shows. If you’re in the city this Fleet Week, show your appreciation for our U.S. Navy and Marine Corps and all they do for the country!

Summer in the city lends to languid afternoons in the park, brunches outside, and late nights spent enjoying the warm temperatures. But of all the essential summer city activities, it’s rooftop BBQs that garner the most excitement. With rooftop access at an all time premium, well planned outfits for rooftop adventures are so necessary, requiring easy transition from day to night. What may begin as a day spent tanning on tar beach turns into evening grilling and night drinking. Layer HUDSON Hampton Cuffed shorts in blue with your best swimsuit, and top it off with a loose and flowing tee. Be sure to also pack a sweater for the chilly nights!

With HUDSON Jeans, dreams do come true. As one of the winners of The Blues Traveler campaign in collaboration with Nordstrom and Vogue, Christine Todd and a guest were invited for an afternoon of fashion fun – from sneak peeks to photoshoot moments. What better way to begin any fashion adventure than with a moment at Vogue? Christine enjoyed a rare tour of the fashion Bible’s office spaces including the legendary fashion closet – not to mention the shoe department which earned more than a few swoons from her. Afterwards, appetites were satiated during lunch at Koi by Bryant Park, followed by a trip to Tudor City for a behind the scenes peek at a “Vogue Studio” advertising campaign shoot. Truly a fashion moment for Christine and HUDSON to remember!

It’s easy to go overboard with the nautical trend. Stripes, brass details, woven accessories and knots are all indicative of this season’s sailor inspired obsession, and when done right, the look is chic and classic. Start with bright red Hudson May Skinny Cropped Jeans and build on the maritime moment. Add a bit of edginess thanks to a zipper accent, a touch of feminism from youthful friendship bracelets, and sophistication thanks to tasteful black pumps. Nautical done right, without going overboard.

For bikers, it’s the dream – the chance to take over city streets in all five boroughs without having to worry about rouge taxi drivers, tourists in cars, and all those pedestrians getting in the way. The TD Bank Five Boro Bike Tour has been providing just that since 1977, along with a charitable component to give back to the local community, and the goal of promoting bike safety.

In 2011, over 30,000 bike riders accepted the challenge and geared up for 42 miles of biking to support Bike New York’s non-profit mission. On the first Sunday of May, both cyclists and enthusiasts don helmets and prep for the largest bicycling event in North America. Those taking part began the fun in Battery Park, traveled up through Manhattan into Harlem and the Bronx, back through Manhattan and into Queens, followed by Brooklyn and finishing up in Staten Island. While the 42 miles may sound a bit daunting, the day is more of a marathon rather than a sprint, as rest areas provide a respite from biking and the beautiful views of the cityscape are meant to inspire. To add to the fun, 2011 saw the creation of the Five Boro Bike Fest, a family event hosted the day before complete with live entertainment, bike inspired giveaways, and more.

Get your biking on this May; did you know it’s national Bike Month?

Considering the sheer amount of culture offered by New York City, there is absolutely no reason to skimp on weekend plans. From the Bronx Zoo to shows on Broadway, city dwellers and visitors are privy to an assortment of options for their cultural fix. And amazingly, the rich sense of the fine art doesn’t stop when it comes to movie theaters. While Lowes and AMC have a monopoly on the rest of the U.S., New Yorkers can choose from more than a few iconic cinemas for rainy day escapes and evening films. Instead of relinquishing $10 plus to chain cinemas, satiate your movie fix while enjoying a bit of history at one of the classical theaters like Sunshine Cinema, Angelika Film Center, IFC Center, or the Film Forum.

Image via New York Times

For New Yorkers, the end of winter and beginning of spring is a major occurrence – for more reasons than just the weather. Considering the sheer number of coffee shops, gourmet brews, and caffeine addicts in the area, it’s safe to assume that New Yorkers are as obsessed with their coffee as they are with their city.  One very obvious sign of the impending increasing temperatures is the return of iced coffee. For a city as in love with caffeine as New York, the chance to indulge in iced beverages again is a highly anticipated moment. For months, steamed milk, hot drips, and boiling beverages take over the morning, serving as not only a method of waking up, but also warming up – fighting against the winter’s chill. Once temperatures hit the mid 50s, coffee carts begin peddling iced coffees, coffee shops start to embrace colder drinks, and high end coffee stores enter into the habit of making their own form of cold brewed iced coffee. Any good New Yorkers knows that iced coffee is hardly hot coffee poured over ice. In fact, serve this to any well versed city resident and you’ll quickly find your venue on a list of places not to frequent. Thanks to the demand, coffee options like Abraço Espresso and Blue Bottle Coffee are highly sought out in the city – making those early mornings just a little bit easier, and more enjoyable thanks to delicious iced coffee during the spring and summer months.

Each year in the beginning of May, celebrities, designers, models, and editors delicately step out of town cars onto the steps of the Met for the annual Costume Institute Gala – an evening of celebration, breathtaking gowns, and picture perfect moments at the museum.

But the evening’s festivities are only a small portion of the entire event, as preparations begin months before. A new theme for the Costume Institute exhibit is chosen yearly (depending on cultural situations and circumstances,) designers pair up with their guests to create elaborate outfits for the fete, and editors plan their publications content around the evening’s experience.

This year, as a tribute to the late and much celebrated designer, Alexander McQueen, and the cultural statement he left on the world, the 2011 Costume Institute Gala culled together the exhibit as a dedication to his work. “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty” takes over the Met from May 4 – July 31 and will feature designs ranging through his 19 year career, from his postgraduate collection for Central Saint Martins in 1992 to his final creations which were displayed in February 2010 after his death. Over 100 of his pieces and 70 accessories will be on display to share just a taste of the brilliant designer’s influence in the fashion industry, complete with his exaggerated silhouettes and innovative vision. “Alexander McQueen was best known for his astonishing and extravagant runway presentations, which were given dramatic scenarios and narrative structures that suggested avant-garde installation and performance art,” said Andrew Bolton, the curator of The Costume Institute. “His fashions were an outlet for his emotions, an expression of the deepest, often darkest, aspects of his imagination. He was a true romantic in the Byronic sense of the word – he channeled the sublime.”

Though surely difficult to narrow down the selection into just 170 items, Alexander McQueen’s tribute will be divided into six categories including “The Romantic Mind,” “Romantic Gothic,” “Romantic Nationalism,” “Romantic Exoticism,” “Romantic Primitivism,” and “Romantic Naturalism” as a way to touch on the variety of inspiration he brought to life through his designs. Visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art from May 4—July 31, 2011 to experience “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty.”

This spring, it isn’t enough to decorate your outfit with necklaces and rings – your tendrils need a bit of flair as well. Here to help out are feather extensions, which have become the latest must- have fashion accessory, calling for a return to the hippie era of style. What began as a side project for some hair stylists out of their apartments has become a celebrity obsession. Famous faces including Heidi Klum, Drew Barrymore, Vanessa Hudgens, and Selena Gomez livened up their locks with feathers this season, in a range of ways. While Selena actually had her hair adorned with a feather extension, Vanessa decided to test the trend in a more temporary kind of way, with an extra long feather earring. As with any trend, salons and stores are making it extremely simple for the public to replicate the look. Services range from $25-$100 depending on the style, but with a bit of DIY brilliance, it’s easily to test out the look for minimal investment. We’d suggest accessorizing your return to the 70s with a perfect pair of HUDSON flares and channeling your best Penny Lane.

Pops of spring in the form of brightly colored denim welcomed guests to HUDSON jean’s latest After Hours celebration along with a special appearance by creative director Ben Taverniti! Of the many delights at the showroom, including the brand new designs by Georgia May Jagger, guests were gushing over the pastel print shorts for summer, as well as the bright red capris. While the zipper accents caused more than a few fashion gasps, it was the triple zips that had style mavens entering into an obvious fit of obsession. Bloggers including Gemma Rowlands of Fade to Black, Christina Caradona of Trop Rouge, Amy Chandra of Midtown Girl, Kristin Booker of Fashion.Style.Beauty, Sonia Evers of Runway Hippie, Misha of The Fab Chick, Bianca Posterli of Modelinia, and Keiko Lynn enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with fashion friends while chatting with Ben about all things jean related. Birthday girl Rajni Jacques provided the tunes while Double Cross mixed up the cocktails including a Capri Punch, St Tropez Bloom, and Mirabella Caipiroska. To add to the swoon worthy denim he created, Ben provided more than a few jean pointers to know during the evening, including the fact that in four years, HUDSON has developed over 7,000 washes! The more you know …